Thanks Foxy

LITHUANIA

Yes I suspected your olds came from a country between the Russian and German empires. The citizens of the smaller Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) had it tragically tough. Historically Sweden, Poland, German states and Russia took turns influencing/invading them. Then the Baltic States even more intensively changed hands in the 20th century http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#20th_and_21st_centuries

VIETNAM BALLS-UP

If only the US OSS (precursor to CIA) had CONTINUED TO SUPPORT the Vietnmese nationalists (including Ho Chi Minh) who had a good thing going fighting the Japanese in WWII.

Instead of backing a return to French Indo-China rule the US should have pressured the French colonialists in the late 1940s to decolonise from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia rather than French + US making a hash of things.

But the French whispered that some of the Viet nationalists were communist and then the French-Vietnam War then American-Vietnam wars killed millions of Indo-Chinese (on all sides) and cost the US $Trillions (about 20 times more than Afghanistan).

And Australia was stuck in the middle and egging on the American with about 550 Aussies killed and many 1,000s physically/psychologically wounded and untold suicides (which may have exceeded the 550 battle deaths). What a mess. See right sidebar here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_the_Vietnam_War

MY FAMILY HISTORY

Yes I like sharing what little family history that I can share. Believe you me most of the really jaw-dropping stuff is out of bounds (Secret and above). So I thank Canberra Security for their ongoing tolerance.

If I ever wrote a book it would be purely fictional, UK-US centric with the main character British and anti-Putin (even anti-Putin's buddy (Trump I think his name is).

With John le Carré having snuffed it last year there is intense competition amoung English speaking would be authors (mainly bad writers) to take his place.

Cheers

Pete
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2021/04/anzac-day-2021-songs-photos-in.html

The other night I watched (again) the film All Quiet on the Western Front, which follows the experience of a group of very young German soldiers, school friends, in WW1. Most die in the trenches, others are wounded, one goes mad. It's a hard film to watch, but important, because it brings home the reality that the powerful leaders of all countries sacrifice their children in war. The normalising of this is indicated by the original German title,Im Westen Nichts Neues, meaning 'In the west, nothing new'. The film ends with the death of the young narrator by a sniper's bullet, as explosion and shots are heard. It wasn't all quiet, just that the death of young men was continuing: nothing new to see here.

I remember when I first heard about the WW1 Christmas Truce in December 1914, when unofficial ceasefires took place along the front line, and soldiers from both sides talked, sang carols and played football together. Why did they not stop fighting altogether? I wondered. They were ordered back to kill each other.

I watched the Oscars. There's so many films
that I would like to see from "Nomadland"
to "The Sound of Metal," to "Collette"
and "The Father" and the list goes on.
All appeared very moving and engrossing.
Worth a ticket to broaden one's perspective
on a variety of subjects.

cont'd ...

Union Station in Los Angeles where the Oscars
took place held this year certainly looked magnificent.
It's Art Deco style was impressive. They do things
with style over there.

Hi Cossomby

I haven't seen the German or English versions of "All Quiet on the Western Front" I will sometime.

But I think from 1914 through to the present day, WWI produced an inordinate amount of lasting and great:

- poems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_poet#World_War_I

- songs including:

"The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" http://youtu.be/WG48Ftsr3OI

and

"Green Fields of France" http://youtu.be/XDyip7SIJkQ

And to this day, movies, like:

Australia's "Gallipoli" http://youtu.be/UclsBepOfm4?t=1m30s

and

"Birdsong" an outstanding tragic 2 Part Series movie about a young British officer at Ypres (Western Front) before and during the war, a great romantic back story with a local French woman, as well. Here's Part 1 http://youtu.be/bCBpUlxHlno and Part 2 http://youtu.be/SGqyJJQutNc

I think WWI was such a literary trigger because it was the first multi-million casualty war, not merely waged during THE rather short European "campaign season" (mainly Summer) but almost 5 years, all year round, with men freezing in their trenches.

And WWI was meant to be "The Great War" and "War to end all wars"

but that was before a worse war WWII 21 years later, especially on the Eastern German-Russian Front and against Japan.
___________

Yeah, if only the Christmas Truce of World War I had been permanent http://youtu.be/-cSrqRdlFeo?t=5m33s

Pete

Hi Foxy

I watched "The Father" at the flicks last week.

Well acted, tight script, very confronting for those of us who've had a loved one go through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease

A parent getting lost in a small suburb he's lived in for 40 years - turning off the light to go to bed at 7pm. Time confusion of before and after as shown in the movie.

Here's the Trailer http://youtu.be/60wDuQMJl2Q

Pete